Apology to London

Pardon President Trump's insulting behavior during the city's hour of crisis.

Copyright 2017: Houston Chronicle

June 9, 2017

Photo: Matt Dunham, STF

A woman places a bouquet of flowers on a memorial for victims in the London Bridge area of London on Tuesday, June 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

A woman places a bouquet of flowers on a memorial for victims in...

Imagine this scenario unfolding in the hours after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.

As New Yorkers pull corpses from the smoldering wreckage of the World Trade Center, as dazed relatives of terror victims wander Manhattan streets circulating photographs of their missing loved ones, and as smoke and fire rise from the charred corridors of the burning Pentagon, British Prime Minister Tony Blair appears on television from London with a message for the American people.

Watching the live broadcast, we expect the leader of our closest international ally to say his country stands shoulder to shoulder with the United States in this hour of crisis. Instead, he shocks the world by insulting New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, he twists the grieving mayor's words out of context, and he calls Giuliani "pathetic."

Of course, that's not at all what happened. On that painful day in our country's history, Britain's prime minister resolutely vowed to join the United States in an international battle against terrorism, and he offered "President Bush and the American people our solidarity, our profound sympathy and our prayers."

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Americans who watched the British prime minister that day will never forget his heartfelt affirmation of unity and support. All of which makes us more deeply angry and ashamed about the insults President Donald Trump hurled at the mayor of London in the wake of last weekend's terrorist attack in Great Britain.

As the people of London prepared for a vigil honoring those who died in the Saturday night slaughter, Trump launched his own unjustified attack through his increasingly bizarre Twitter feed. On a day when even children graciously used their social media accounts to offer the people of Britain words of support and solidarity, the president of the United States chose to fire off messages slapping London's mayor in the face.

Trump, apparently addled and angry at 3:30 in the morning, expressed outrage that London's mayor told his city there was "no reason to be alarmed" when people saw more police on the streets. When the president's insolent remark drew justifiable criticism, Trump doubled down by jeering at what he called a "Pathetic excuse by London Mayor Sadiq Khan."

Our president's boorish words about a mayor leading his city on a day of mourning for terror victims were beneath contempt. His sneering proclamations would've been inappropriate at any time, but it's especially troubling they were issued on the eve of the anniversary of D-Day. Even the acting U.S. ambassador to Great Britain felt compelled to come to Khan's defense with a series of sympathetic messages delivered via Twitter. Trump has a long-running feud with Khan, a Muslim who has criticized the president's travel ban targeting people of his faith. The mayor has also called for his country to cancel the president's scheduled state visit to Great Britain. That doesn't matter and that doesn't justify Trump's behavior in the hours after a terror attack. Contrast the president's insults with the message Khan posted after last year's Orlando nightclub massacre, when he wrote, "I stand with the City of Orlando against hate and bigotry."

Just to clarify, in case our president has created any doubt, we stand with the city of London. Trump's behavior has made it clear that he doesn't believe in apologizing or admitting he ever does anything wrong, but these inappropriate remarks deserve words of contrition. Since he won't offer them, we will.

We hope our friends in London will pardon our president's insulting behavior in their hour of crisis. And we hope they will accept our apology.